Mi, a name, I call myself
by Livvylondinium
Summary: For most singing is something fun, a cute hobby or a fruitful career. For Izuku it's all his power and identity... Almost all.


Head bopping, foot tapping, fingers snapping. In time to the music.  
Izuku sat at his desk, head bent low over his notes. A heavy set of headphones rested over his ears and his foot twisted his swivel chair back and forth distractedly.

"Izuku, breakfast!"  
At the sound of his mother's call, Midoriya turned abruptly, jumping up from his seat and grabbing his backpack as he did so. He launched himself out into the corridor and down the bannister of the stairway to land with a thump on the ground floor.

"What did I say about going down the stairs properly?"

"Sorry, Ma!"  
Headphones still on, Izuku wolfed down his first meal of the day. Inko busied herself finishing up his lunch and when it was complete slid it distractedly into his bag.

"It looks so grey outside today," Inko lamented, one hand on her cheek as she gazed out of the window. "I had been meaning to meet with Mitsuki for coffee at lunch but I might have to cancel if it gets any colder."

"You are my sunshine..."  
She turned as Izuku did the same, from tucking away his earphones in his backpack.

"My only sunshine..."  
He continued, voice lilting upwards with a smile on his lips.

"You make me happy"  
Inko joined in the melody and both stood on the cool kitchen floor.

"When skies are grey"  
His mother twirled towards the counter where she turned down the heat on the stove. She looked back with a warm smile.

"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you"  
Izuku copied her move, picking up his empty bowl instead and placing it gently in the sink.

"So please don't take my sunshine away."  
She took his hand in hers and planted a kiss on his forehead. They launched into song again, at a higher pitch. The pair twisted, tip-toed and sidestepped around each other in rounds. Dishes were cleaned, bags slung onto shoulders and the two cross-stepped their way to the corridor. The whole house glowed in the new early morning sun.

"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you."  
Izuku tapped his outdoor shoes into place with a flourish and shimmied to the door.

"So please don't take my sunshine away."  
Inko Midoriya smiled down at her son from the entranceway step. He grinned back up at her, one arm on the handle.

"Feel like it'll be a good day today, Izu?"

"Yep!"

—

"I need a hero, I need a hero-" Midoriya's shaky voice muttered over and over as the horrifying scene unfolded before him. A young woman nearby in the crowd, probably not long out of college, drew her own eyes away from the horrifying scene to spare the young teen a glance.

"Hey. Hey, kid." After a moment of nervous muttering, Midoriya looked up at her. "Are you alright?" Her words didn't register.

Izuku was tense, unspent energy vibrating his whole being. Within the slime-like villain, Bakugou roiled, hands grasping at nothing. Somehow he turned within the monstrous goop and the students' eyes met for a brief moment.  
The imploring gaze strangled the breath from Izuku. With barely a moment's pause, the Orudera junior high student burst from the ranks of the crowd, past the outreaching arms of Backdraft, one hand already on a bag strap and arm ready to throw-

—

Midoriya rode the energy high he knew would fade soon to exhaustion, elated even after Bakugou had bit out his harsh definitely-not-thank-you. He trotted down the pavement, chin high and voice loud in the quiet.

"I need a hero."

He twirled on one leg as he rounded a corner, grabbing a lamppost and swinging with it.

"I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night."

He hopped down onto the deserted road with a slight skip, punctuating the line.

"And he's gotta be strong and he's gotta be fast,"

"And he's gotta be fresh from the fight."

He kept going, along the pathway, kicking stones as he passed an empty playground and no doubt scuffing his shoes in the process. A fresh breeze danced around and along with him as he went.

"And he's gotta be sure and it's gotta be soon."

"And he's gotta be larger than life, larger than-"  
He was cut off abruptly with a violent gust of wind that sent him sputtering on the pavement. Lifting his eyes, higher and higher still, he finally reached the face of what had caused the disturbance.

"All Might?"

—

The girl beneath the rubble before him wheezed, arms straining around her back in a vain attempt to grip the slab of concrete and face flushed. Izuku's arms pulled at the weight, but if it shifted at all, it was unnoticeable. The strong trembling of the ground from the approaching threat was doing more to move the rock, and the girl bit out a sharp cry of pain as it did. Izuku stepped back, turning to the Zero-pointer, and knew right away what to do. Of the many ideas that could have crossed his mind, only the single most reckless did.

"Too late for second-guessing"

"Too late to go back to sleep"

"It's time to trust my instincts"

The huge robot kept its steady, destructive path. Midoriya kept his path too, dashing to meet the behemoth in the middle.

"Close my eyes and leap"

He slid to a stop, eyes squeezed shut and hands trembling in the fists at his chest-level. He bent his knees further, feeling an unfamiliar burning sensation spread under his skin. He opened his eyes wide and let the feeling go in a rush.

"It's time to try"

"Defying gravity"

Inexplicably, the surrounding rubble lifted up along with Izuku. The girl, Uraraka, tumbled to the main road. She clutched her leg where heavy bruising was already appearing. Then her eyes followed the path her test-mate followed.

"I think I'll try"

For a moment, Izuku was motionless in the air and a feeling of light-headedness wash over him. He swivelled in the air drawing his right arm backwards.

A high pitched whine buzzed in the air between them as the zero-pointer locked onto the target directly in front of its gleaming red eye.

"Defying gravity"

Energy crackled through his fist, frying his nerves. His words were almost a yell now, a wild smile baring all his teeth through the pain.

His fist shot forward in a vicious over-hand throw. Although his swing landed nowhere close to the robot, air rushed forward to achieve the same effect, cratering the front of its mighty chest with the force of the blow.

"And you can't pull me down!"

The young teen soared.  
Suspended in midair for a moment like the world suddenly turned in slow-motion, a grin spread across his freckled face. The eyes of testing area X were upon the scene, following the boy as he fell through the air.  
His purple mottled arm was crumpled and outstretched before him. Legs pulverised beneath him. And still, he smiled.

—

The eyes of the class followed Midoriya up to the white circle on the ground that the ball-throw distance would be tested from. Of all of them, only one curious gaze was burning, undoubtedly Bakugou's, calculating and cold.

He rolled his shoulders once, took in a deep breath and concentrated on channelling the power of One for All through his hand. The air around it glowed and in the haze, Midoriya pitched in his strongest overarm throw.

The ball left his fingertips as the power flowing in his veins disappeared in a rush of wind. It took a slow round arc in the air and landed with only a quiet thud in the dirt. For one second he stopped and inspected his uninjured hand before looking up to his left.

Aizawa could only be described as a creature from hell, ashy face and burning red eyes in a glare that chilled the student. His hair floated around his face, black tendrils lifted as though by some hell power. He stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest.

"I was part of the judging team for admissions Midoriya. I know what your quirk means for your body. If you break your arm now and fail the rest of the tests, I can and _will_ expel you."

His eyes dimmed, hair fell limp and Midoriya felt like he could breathe again.

_That was Eraserhead_ \- The observation registered in the back of Izuku's mind, but it was otherwise occupied with his other racing thoughts.

_If he couldn't use One for All, what else did he have? Would he have to use One for All anyway and risk all he had worked for these past months with All Might?_

Then it clicked.

"I'm a survivor, not gonna give up."

"Not gonna stop, gonna work harder."

Keeping his voice quiet, Izuku stepped back into the throwing circle. The whispers of his classmates picked up again in the background. He looked out on the grounds and swallowed heavily.

"I'm a survivor, I'm gonna make it."

Izuku squared up with the throwing field once more. His hand glowed once again with the ball in its grip - Aizawa narrowed his eyes in suspicion and the beginnings of disappointment.

"I will survive, keep on surviving"

His arm swept past his ear, releasing the ball at its furthest point with a tremendous boom. It left the grounds at sonic speed, sailing until it disappeared as a speck in the distance.

The teacher's machine beeped a moment later and Aizawa lifted it to show the class. 706 metres. While the class chattered excitedly behind him, Izuku flexed his forearm. It ached noticeably and would probably bruise later but it was nothing that he couldn't cope with. He looked up with a wide smile.

"Nothing broken Mr Aizawa, I can keep going."  
His homeroom teacher only breathed out a half-pleased, half-surprised sigh and waved back towards the student dismissively in response.

"What kind of song was that shit, Deku?"

Midoriya turned to where Bakugou stood, hands in fists that crackled with the familiar sound of his quirk.

"I don't know what you mean-"

Bakugou snarled and leapt forward.

"Like hell you don-"  
He was brutally cut off by the wrappings going from Aizawa's shoulders. He stared down at the blonde in his grip.

"I don't know what this is about, but heroes do _not_ attack other heroes."

Bakugou tensed under the admonishment but kept his mouth closed. The teacher silently released him and with only a sharp glare, Katsuki turned his back to Izuku.

—

"Ice ice baby"

Todoroki's mouth twisted in confusion and Izuku smiled slightly,

"Ice ice baby"

A snarl crossed Shouto's face. The roar of the sports festival crowd rumbled the ground beneath them. Present Mic's announcements were loud but unintelligible in the background.

"Are you mocking me Midoriya? After what I told you?" He spat out.

As Todoroki lifted his right hand once more, Midoriya twisted his body downwards so that his left hand swept swiftly backwards. Behind him a thick bank of ice formed, covering the out line entirely and towering up almost to crowd level.

Shouto's eyes widened minutely and he flexed his raised hand slowly, testing each finger, though no mist drifted from them.

"No. This will just give me the opportunity for what I actually want to say." Midoriya straightened up, One for All crackling through his veins.

"I've seen it before

It happens all the time"

Todoroki shot a stream of ice across the ground, nearby trapping Izuku, who only just managed to skip out of the way.

"I don't know what you're doing Midoriya, but you're not going to win this. I have too much to prove!"

"Closing the door

You leave the world behind"

The two opponents fought in a deadly dance of blow-for-blow.

Midoriya yelped as his shattered arm crashed into the barrier he had pulled up at the start. He grit his teeth, head bowed slightly.

"You're digging for gold

Yet throwing away

A fortune in feelings"

Midoriya, fingers crooked and pulsing in pain, could barely raise them into fists. As a new greater wave, from the onslaught of ice rushed towards him, he raised his thumb to his cheek, flicking it forward across the stage. The One-for-All powered blast shattered the attack once more, shards like glass falling over the stadium.

"But someday you'll pay,"

Shouto looked over at the mess created by his latest attack, staring down Izuku across the pitch.

"I'm going to prove to my father that I can reach number 1 _without_ his quirk."

"Your quirk is yours Todoroki, not your mother's or father's. It won't matter to Endeavour if you reach top hero with or without your fire half because you'll be top hero either way."

A pale white sheen covered his opponents cheek and shoulder. Between breaths, his chest and legs shook slightly and his fingers twitched at his side.

"You're shivering Todoroki. Without the other half of your quirk you can't regulate your power. You need both the cold and the hot if you're going to be the hero people need, without being a burden on the heroes around you."

"And you break your bones with every hit Midoriya," Shouto snarled. "What kind of hero would that be?"

"I'm working on it." Midoriya grimaced, his bruised hands very obvious in the bottom of his vision. "I don't know exactly what you've gone through Todoroki, but if you're trying to be number 1 with only half your power, you don't _deserve_ that position."

Eyes blown wide, Todoroki stumbled back as if dazed and ice flaked off his skin with the movement.

Midoriya raised his hand, pointing a purple finger as best he could at Todoroki's chest.

"You're as cold as ice,"

Another shiver ran through Shouto, arms tingling to the bone as the frost suddenly ate through him. He involuntarily closed his eyes as Izuku stepped towards him.

"You're willing to sacrifice our love.

You want paradise..."

Something undoubtedly familiar bubbled up within him aching to be released. From the fist clenched at his side, warmth spread over his chest, staving away the cold that had bitten into him.

"But someday you'll pay the price,

I know."

When Shouto opened his eyes again, he found a wild grin on his own face. A similar smile adorned his opponent's face. Between the glow of flames erupting from his left arm and the unmistakable green shine of Midoriya's quirk, the arena was filled with blinding light.

"You ready for a real fight now Todoroki?"

"I don't understand you at all Midoriya, but I'm as ready as I've ever been."

—

Midoriya had one hand on his flip phone, thumbing through his contacts behind his back, staring down one of the most notorious villains of the region and possibly the country.

He was subtle but one frantic dive sent it clattering from his grip, spinning to a stop by the chest of his currently disabled classmate.

Izuku took a dive for it, stopping abruptly as a knife sliced past his cheek and into his phone, shattering it into a thousand pieces of glass and plastic.

Breathing heavily, now crouched almost protectively over Iida's prone form, Izuku knew what to do.

"Follow the rainbow over the stream,

Follow the fellow who follows a dream,

Follow follow follow follow

Follow the yellow brick road."

Across the city of Hosu and beyond, an unusual golden pathway flared into existence. It zig-zagged across the districts, cutting diagonally across the wide streets, painting itself up building walls and along rooftops. From far above, as a hero might be able to see, it perfectly matched the path Midoriya had taken, from the distant rail line to where he stood breathless now.

One strip of the pathway cut across the path of a pair of patrolling heroes, the Todorokis - Endeavour and Shouto.

Endeavour jogged right over the path only slowing when he noticed his son was no longer by his side.

The hero-in-training had stopped at the edge of the golden strip, eyes calculating as he scanned across the new pathway.

"Come on Shouto, this is no time to stop!"

Blatantly ignoring his father's yelling, Shouto launched away to the rooftops. He cruised above the streets, coasting on ice that was smooth and slick beneath his feet.

He cruised over alleyways and shopping centres, always keeping an eye on the golden pathway and its abrupt end point several blocks away. Dark smoke spiralled into the even darker sky around him and he sent ice onto the fires where he could as he approached.

He banked sharply to ground level, dashing to the gap between two major shopping blocks.

Fire flashed forward from his palm, licking at the alleyway's walls and washing those inside in a bath of heat. The two parties leapt apart as flame crossed the gap between them. It flickered out abruptly and Shouto took his chance to speak,

"There is something really strange going on with you Midoriya."

Said teen turned to the newcomer with a wide smile. Beyond him, the villain grimaced beneath his face.

"That is certainly one way of greeting someone."

"Let's get this over and done with, then."

—

Midoriya bounded through the trees, a young boy cradled in his arms. The class's fun, fulfilling summer training camp had quickly turned into disarray almost at the flip of the coin.

Muscular was a villain unlike those Izuku had faced before. Whereas Stain had be lithe and quick, Muscular relies entirely on his huge strength, almost a cruel mockery of his own fighting style.

Their tussle left the villain down both eyes, mechanical and organic, while Izuku had one arm in a pulp still with an enraged villain on his tail in that he desperately wanted to lose. His voice was almost loud enough to be a wail, the only thing he could think to sing to help in his panicked state,

"No one in your life is with you constantly,

No one is completely on your side."

A tendril of yellow smoke, close to the ground way snaked its way across his path. He ran through the patch of haze, still gasping for air as he spoke, and stumbled to his knees with the sudden wooziness that overcame him. It sent a painful jolt up his injured arm and Kouta whimpered in his grip. The nearby crash of a fallen tree told that the villain had heard his yell of pain.

Looking back at the gas that swirled slowly in the breeze, the student let hope rise in his chest.

Running further, Izuku stopped in a gap in the trees, only a few metres wide, where a boulder and a scattering of other pebbles stood. He crouched behind the rock, warily watching the yellow fog drifting through the forest ahead. He patted the dark hair of the young boy he held absentmindedly as he peeked out at the trees he had approached from.

"And though I'd move the world to be with him,

still the gap between us is too wide"

"I can hear you whispering little hero!"

The yell came from startlingly close and Muscular bounded out of the trees and into the clearing. His metal eye still sparked from where it had been destroyed and a telling streak of blood replaced the other.

"The gap between us is too wide."

And stopped as if struck.

"Hah? What's this brat?"

A shimmering rose up from the ground.

It followed the path of a dome, encasing it's two occupants in a transparent shield with only a slight glow to show its location, at least to anyone who could see.

"This isn't gonna stop me kid!"

The barrier sputtered and sparked as Muscular slammed his fists, with the same cool green as One for All. Shockwaves of colour spread across the forcefield circle and each hit let out a deafening crack but it held.

Even through the barrier, the gas swept over the small group.

Still clutching Kouta tight to his chest and holding a hand on the boy's head, Midoriya held his breath, as much as his body wanted to heave. Beneath him Kouta coughed once through his snivelling then relaxed.

Midoriya's heart jack-hammered in his chest until he heard a heavy thump from outside the barrier.

With one final one-for-all powered kick, Izuku swept the clearing of gas for long enough to stumble over to the fallen body.

Izuku spat the blood pooling in his mouth to one side and stared down at the villain. Out loud he spoke,

"The gap between us is too wide."

And turned to deliver the child back to camp before his new mission, gas swirling back closed behind him.

—

Not a day later, lying prone in the medical ward's bed, Izuku breathed shakily, wracking his brain in the deafening silence. His heavily bandaged arms tingled painfully at his sides. The air was still and almost silent in the small room Midoriya occupied. Finally he parted his lips and a few croaky words drifted out.

"He is young, He's afraid,"

Hesitantly, he paused, glancing from the bed to the hospital ward surrounding him. The only sounds were the whirring of the summer's air conditioning and the distant scuffle of footsteps.

"Heavens blessed, let him rest,"

His lyrics grew a little louder, cheeks heavy with tears.

"Bring him home, bring him home-"

Suddenly his breath caught in his throat. He paused and drew in a shaky breath, nose snuffling as he did so.

"Bring him home..."

—

"Kacchan! Please, We have to end this."

The blonde only snarled defensively, droplets of perspiration running down his face, along with the tears that had sprung to his eyes. It was dark, mere days after Katsuki's rescue, and the two faced each other, sweating in the grounds just behind the dorms.

Fists raised but loose, Midoriya gulped heavily between his panting breath. The hero-in-training pushed down the anxiety that had risen to his throat and opened his mouth,

"I'm singing in the rain."

Bakugou cocked his head slightly, eyes confused and watery.

"Just singing in the rain."

The green-haired teen drew out the long key note again with a deep breath. Recognition dawned on the other's face and his back straightened.

"What a glorious feeling."

If it were possible on the late summer night, it grew even darker. Thick clouds gathered and roiled overhead. Midoriya took a hesitant step closer, arms outreached,

"I'm happy again."

The heavens opened and the rain slammed into the pair, the ground and the buildings surrounding them with a deafening whoosh.

"Kacchan... "

"I don't- I don't-"

"You're right. It's like I told you Kacchan..."

"Deku, I-"  
The two classmates stood across from each other in the downpour that soaked their already-sweaty clothes and chilled to the bone.  
The green sparks that danced across skin sputtered out and the crackle of Bakugou's palms drowned into silence.


End file.
